Prague: Dumb Mistakes Tourists Make in Prague

Hey there, fellow travelers. Mark here with Walters World, and today we're here in Prague, one of my three favorite cities to visit in Europe. I love coming here. This is about my 10th time here, and I can't wait to come back again. And over all my times coming here, I've seen a lot of mistakes that I've made, but a lot of mistakes I see other tourists make when they come here. So today what we have for you are the kind of five or six mistakes that tourists tend to make when they come to Prague, and I want to help you not make these mistakes so you can have a better time in this fantastic city. And the first mistake people make is the money mistake. Look, they don't use the euro here, okay? They have their own Czech crown. They have their own money here, okay? And a lot of people make the mistake of just going up to any exchange house and just exchanging money there. Look, if you see a sign saying zero commission, it's true. They do not charge you any commission, but what they do do is give you a horrible exchange rate, okay? So that's really going to suck. When you do go there, make sure you're looking at their exchange rate. If all you have is cash and find one that does a better job, the closer you get to the Old Town Square, the worse it's probably going to get, okay? So stay a little bit farther out. Ask your hotel for like a good one that's not going to rip you off, okay? So that's a head up, those- those commissioned kind of things. Don't- don't trust the old commission. Know that they're going to give you a bad rate, all right? So the next thing you might think of, another money problem, another money mistake people make, is they take the conversion. Look, the conversion is when you pay with a credit card and they offer you to pay in euros or dollars, because then you know how much money is going to come out of your bank account, because otherwise we can't guarantee what you're going to get out. Look, you should always trust your local bank that has your account more than the ATM or the restaurant credit card machine and stuff like that, because they're looking out for themselves. Because what I've seen is when you put your card in, it'll give you the option of that- that conversion to dollars or euros, and the thing is they usually give, again, a really bad exchange rate, and you can lose 20, maybe 30%. I mean, it's really bad, because you can lose a significant percentage of your money because of that. So make sure you always decline conversion, and they'll be like, are you sure you want to do that? Yes, I'm 100% sure, and sometimes you might see that actually if you're at a restaurant, they'll just automatically do it on dollars or euros, like, no, no, I want the Czech money, please. Thank you very much. Now, the second mistake I see people make is when they go to the restaurants here, they skip out on the Czech food. Look, the food in Prague is awesome, the Czech food especially, and you need to make sure you're getting out to have the duck and dumplings. Believe me, you'll be super happy with that. Any of the kind of pork dishes that are here, the dumplings, there's so much good food here, but I see some of the tourists that actually miss out because they see this pretty Italian restaurant, and they go eat Italian food, or they go have Chinese food, or they'll hit up with a McDonald's, or the Starbucks, or the Burger King, the international places you'll see around here. Look, don't make that mistake. Eat the local food when you're here, so make sure you ask your hotel, hey, what's a, what's a good checklist? It's a good place for some duck around here. They will let you know because it really is the fantastic part. It's just the food when you are here, okay? My next mistake I see people make, which kind of deals with the restaurants, is when you're on the town square, people make the mistake of ordering a beer. Look, don't just order a beer or a pivo when you go and sit on the square. Obviously, if you're on the town square, it's going to be more expensive. We know that, but when you order just a beer there, they will give you the most expensive beer that they have, so make sure you look on the menu and go, I want this beer, so you don't get like the one that's twice the price, okay? Because I've seen a lot of tourists get upset with that. I mean, I've fallen for that one. I've made that mistake myself, and now I know, no, no, let me see the menu, your beer menu, and I'll order that, okay? Because that's a mistake I see, and I guess if you're at the old town square having a beer, there is another mistake I want to tell you about when it deals with the old town square, and that is don't make the mistake of only doing old town square, Charles Bridge, and the castle. A lot of tourists, that's all they do. They just see the, well, the most pretty, the prettiest old town in Europe. Yes, that square there is just gorgeous, and you'll see that, and then they'll walk, and they'll go to Charles Bridge, where they have the buskers performing, and the artists that are there, and you have these beautiful views, and the statues. It's really gorgeous, and then they walk up the castle and see the apartments there, and the St. Venus Cathedral, and stuff like that, and they take all that in, and then they go back, and they go back again, and back and forth, and that's all they do. Realize there's a lot more to Prague than just the old town square, Charles Bridge, and the castle, and sometimes all that is, is just going a little bit farther past the old town square, and going to see the Jewish Quarter, and taking a tour there, or taking a day trip out, or going to the National Museum, and stuff like that. There's a lot of other things to do aside from those three things, so get off the beaten path, and go explore more of Prague. Now, the next mistake I see tourists make when they come here, is they, well, it's not necessarily a mistake if you're not a morning person, but the kind of mistake, the thing people miss out on, is sunrise on Charles Bridge. Possibly one of the most beautiful sunrises you'll see in the world. You're on the bridge, the sun comes over the city, and you're on there with the bridge, and it's usually just you. Very few tourists are there, you know, five o'clock in the morning in the summer, and you go in the winter, it's like eight or nine o'clock is when sunrise is, but that sunrise is so beautiful, and so many people miss out on it, because it's too early in the morning. So, if you can't get a sunrise, at least get a sunset. It's not as pretty, but it is still gorgeous to see, and the thing is, if you're out partying late night when you're here, as some people are, and if it's summertime, you might finish partying, and you can go to the bridge, and watch the sunrise, and then go back to your hotel to go to bed, but honestly, that sunrise is just gorgeous, and then a last little mistake I see tourists make when they do come here, is they don't realize that this is an extremely popular weekend destination for people from all over Europe, and all over the world, and so a lot of people here only come Friday, Saturday, Sunday, which means don't make the mistake of waiting last minute to book your accommodation. Now, don't get me wrong, there's plenty accommodation in the city, but if you want to get good accommodation, like in the old town, and stuff like that, I do suggest booking earlier than you usually would, so you can have the perfect spot, and the thing is, the prices are pretty affordable here anyway, so that's really cool, but I do want to give you the heads up on the accommodation thing. So, I hope this helps you know what mistakes not to make when you do come here to Prague. If you want to learn more, the scams of Prague, what you don't do when you come to Prague, the five things you love and hate about coming to Prague, check us out on our website at waltersworld.com. We're also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and we really appreciate your like, subscriptions, and if you like honest travel videos like this, hit that subscribe button, and we put out a new video every Wednesday and Saturday from all over the world to help fellow travelers just like you. Anyway, I want to say a special thank you to all our patrons on Patreon. If you want to learn how you can support us, and help us keep making honest travel videos like this, go to patreon.com slash waltersworld to find out more, and I want to say thank you to everybody, and go enjoy Prague, because it's a fantastic city.